Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 419: Battle of Tiger Mountain
It was the end of September, the second half of the night, there was no light in the sky, and it was pitch black all around.

Therefore, the advance teams of the suicide squad who crossed the river at night did not notice that there were countless thin ropes hanging close to the surface of the river, with many copper bells tied to them.

The men swam closer and touched the thin rope, which caused the copper bell to ring.

This was the mechanism set up by Qu Shaoyang and his men after they led their troops to the mouth of Anping River.

The main reason is that the current technical conditions are not met and it is impossible to place mines or grenades in the water.

There was no other way, Qu Shaoyang could only tie a copper bell with a thin rope to serve as an alarm.

At night, everything was silent, but when the clear sound of the copper bell rang, the people patrolling on the shore heard it immediately.

"No, enemy attack."

With the sentry's shout, the patrol team and Qing troops stationed at the mouth of Anping River were all alarmed.

The Japanese suicide squad in the icy river were still confused at this time.

They could never have imagined that the other party could have set up a trap in the river and discovered their sneak attack so easily.

However, what made these people even more desperate was that many oval or cylindrical objects suddenly flew out from the temporary fortifications on the river bank.

These things exploded violently the moment they fell into the water.

The blast caused by the explosion made their blood surge, and the fragments of the explosion penetrated their skin and flesh, causing severe pain.

Some people fainted in the explosion and were washed downstream.

Even those who didn't faint were injured by the explosion fragments and bled profusely.

He was injured in the icy river water and his strength was quickly lost. He could not hold on for long and his body soon became stiff.

Those explosive things fell down continuously like a meteor shower.

Explosions sounded one after another, and the river water seemed to be boiling.

This advance team consisted of about thirty people, and all of them were killed within a few minutes, with no one surviving.

The Japanese were really cunning. They only sent a small advance team of thirty people to explore the way. The main force was following behind, and some of them had not even entered the water and were still on the other side.

The advance team in front was attacked by grenades and suffered heavy casualties. Those behind, seeing that something was wrong, turned around and swam back.

How could Qu Shaoyang let the little Japanese go? The grenades were just appetizers, the six artillery pieces brought from Maoer Mountain were the highlight.

"Bang, bang, bang." The cannons fired continuously, and the shells were fired towards the other side of the river. Some fell into the river, and some fell on the other side.

The remaining members of the suicide squad suffered countless casualties in the violent explosion.

Those who were lucky enough not to be injured were frightened and fled back to Yizhou.

Japan's attempt to sneak across the Heian River estuary failed.

Qu Shaoyang's side stopped after a round of fierce artillery fire.

Then he ordered people to clean up the battlefield and find a way to salvage the bodies downstream.

Afterwards, Qu Shaoyang went to find the Qing army general stationed there.

The Qing troops stationed here were under the command of Heilongjiang General Yiktang'a.

Qu Shaoyang went to find the other party mainly to report through them and remind the generals above to be careful and guard against the Japanese army crossing the river from other places.

Of course, Qu Shaoyang did not put all his hopes on the enemy. He also sent people to report the battle situation at Anping River Mouth to Zhang Xiulan.

He also reminded Zhang Xiulan that he must be on guard against the Japanese army crossing the river to attack in the near future.

Zhang Xiulan was overjoyed when he received the news and commended Qu Shaoyang's troops.

He also sent a message to Qu Shaoyang, ordering him to continue guarding the Anping River estuary to prevent the Japanese army from crossing the river.

At the same time, Zhang Xiulan also went to meet with Song Qing and others to report Qu Shaoyang's previous analysis and what happened at the mouth of Anping River last night, hoping to attract their attention.

At this time, the Qing troops stationed along the Yalu River belonged to different places and different factions.

These people think highly of themselves. They don't take a mere inspector or front camp commander seriously at all. They think Qu Shaoyang is just a blind cat that caught a dead mouse.

Since the Japanese army's smuggling plan has failed, it is impossible for them to take any other actions in the short term.

Moreover, the Japanese army has been stationed on the south bank of the river for more than a month, but has not made any major moves.

The weather is getting colder and colder. The river is so wide and the water is icy. It is extremely difficult to cross the river. Maybe they will wait until the river freezes before attacking.

There was much debate among the Qing army about when to attack the Japanese army, but few people took Qu Shaoyang's suggestion seriously.

At this moment, on the other side of the river, the Japanese generals were also discussing when to attack.

The original plan made by the generals of the First Army was to let these 500 death squads secretly cross the river.

After landing, you only need to hold on for one day, grope your way to the foot of Tiger Mountain and ambush, wait for the main force to cross the river, and then attack from both sides.

However, the suicide squad failed to sneak across the Yalu River, and the original plan was disrupted.

There was also a heated debate within the First Army as to whether to continue the assault and cross the river.

Some people believe that the failure of the suicide squad’s smuggling attempt last night has alerted the enemy, and the enemy will inevitably strengthen their defense, so it is not advisable to attack again in the short term.

Some people also believe that as the weather gets colder, crossing the river will become more and more difficult.

They are engaged in a long-term war and there are difficulties with supplies for the troops. Delaying the war for too long would be detrimental to the outcome.

The two sides debated fiercely, and finally it was the First Army Commander Aritomo Yamagata who made the final decision to maintain the original plan and attack Tiger Mountain.

On the evening of September 27, Aritomo Yamagata issued an order for the engineers to build a pontoon bridge and the main force to cross the river.

At midnight, the engineers set out. They carefully reached the Yalu River and began to build a pontoon bridge.

Everything was carried out in darkness and silence. The engineers were busy in the freezing cold water, but no sound was heard from the other side of the river.

The Qing army, with its lax defense, did not notice the actions of the Japanese army right under their noses.

After daybreak, the Qing troops on Hushan Mountain discovered something was wrong. When did three floating bridges suddenly appear on the river?

Song Qing was also very puzzled when he received the report. How could the Japanese army accomplish such a huge project in just one night?
At this time, the Qing army had no idea that in the modern army, there was a special branch of the military, the engineers.

Their task was to build bridges, roads, dig trenches and build walls.

Japan's engineers undergo intensive training on a daily basis, which enables them to complete tasks extremely quickly on the battlefield.

After the pontoon bridge was built, the main forces of the Japanese army were all dispatched.

They pulled all the cannons to the riverside and fired fiercely at the other side of the river, while the infantry rushed across the pontoon bridge under the artillery fire and launched a fierce attack on the other side.

The Qing troops guarding the banks of the Yalu River almost collapsed at the first blow. They just came into contact with the Japanese army, fired a few shots, and then ran away.

Only the Qing troops guarding Hushan did not flee.

The Qing general stationed at Hushan was Nie Shicheng, who was one of the generals who followed Ye Zhichao into Goryeo and participated in the battles of Asan and Pyongyang. He was an old rival of the Japanese army. As the saying goes, enemies are jealous of each other when they meet, and Nie Shicheng was determined to teach the Japanese a lesson.

The Japanese troops that crossed the river launched round after round of fierce attacks at the foot of Hushan Mountain, and Nie Shicheng led his troops in a desperate battle.

Because the smuggling plan failed and without the 500 suicide squads to attack from the front and back, the Japanese army's attack was not smooth.

The defenders of Hushan had the advantage of terrain, and the Japanese army could not quickly win in a short period of time.

Of course, the Japanese army's combat effectiveness is indeed extraordinary, and the number of Qing troops on Hushan is not too large. They will definitely not be able to hold on for a long time.

Seeing the Japanese troops charging up the mountain fearlessly, Nie Shicheng decided to defend Hushan to the death. At the same time, he sent troops to Jiuliancheng and other places to ask for reinforcements.

Song Qing, who was stationed in Jiuliancheng, also saw the situation clearly. After receiving the report, he immediately ordered the army to leave the city to reinforce Nie Shicheng.

However, after the order was issued, Song Qing discovered a problem: no one was carrying out the military order.

Why? Because the Qing troops stationed along the Yalu River belonged to different factions.

Although Song Qing was ordered to assist in military affairs and command the troops, in fact, half of the nearly 30,000 troops were Eight Banners soldiers who he had no authority to mobilize.

Another small half were soldiers who followed Ye Zhichao to retreat from Pyongyang.

These people had witnessed how quickly Ye Zhichao abandoned the army and escaped alone, so they suspected that Song Qing and Nie Shicheng would be the next Ye Zhichao.

Therefore, these people had no intention of fighting, but were preparing to escape.

At this time, Nie Shicheng's troops were still defending Hushan, but they suffered heavy casualties. Seeing that reinforcements had not arrived, the defending Qing army also wavered.

"General, let's retreat. If we don't, I'm afraid our entire army will be wiped out." The people around Nie Shicheng urged.

"Hold on a little longer, reinforcements should be arriving soon."

Nie Shicheng refused to give up. He marched from Yashan to Pyongyang and then to Hushan. Was he going to retreat again?

Just when they were about to give up on the mountain, chaos suddenly broke out in the rear of the Japanese army.

A group of people, about two thousand in number, rushed over quickly from the east side of Hushan.

The people who came were none other than the patrol team led by Qu Shaoyang.

Originally, Qu Shaoyang was ordered to garrison at the mouth of Anping River, but he was always thinking about Hushan.

The Qing army was afraid that the Japanese army would suddenly launch an attack and would not have time to defend, so they sent people to gather information from time to time.

As soon as the battle started at Hushan, someone went back to inform Qu Shaoyang.

Qu Shaoyang was well aware of the importance of the Hushan position, so after receiving the news, he immediately led his team to Hushan to provide reinforcements.

When Qu Shaoyang came out of Maoer Mountain, he only brought a thousand patrol teams, and the rest of the people were divided and set off later.

After Qu Shaoyang was arranged by Zhang Xiulan to garrison at the mouth of Anping River, another 1,500 to 1,600 people arrived one after another.

At the other end of Dianzi Street, Qu Shaoyang had already sent someone to deliver a message, but the distance was too far and they couldn't arrive in a while.

The artillery was too heavy and time-consuming to move, making it unsuitable for rapid reinforcement, so Qu Shaoyang left five hundred men behind to escort it.

He led more than 2,000 patrol team members and four Maxim heavy machine guns all the way to the Hushan position.

The Maxim heavy machine gun was originally mounted on a cart, which made it very clumsy to move. It required several people to push the cart, and it moved very slowly.

Later, Qu Shaoyang invited some military technicians from abroad. After discussing with them, he removed the main body of the machine gun and installed a bracket.

The main body of the machine gun weighs only about 100 pounds, and a strong young man can carry it and walk. A few more people can be assigned to carry a heavy machine gun so that they can be replaced if the journey is long.

No matter where you are, you can just mount it on the bracket and shoot. This gives you much better flexibility.

Two thousand troops, all equipped with imported rapid-fire rifles and four heavy machine guns, directly cut off the Japanese's retreat.

With a burst of machine gun fire, the Japanese in the front who were shouting and attacking suddenly lost their composure.

"Brothers, kill them. Let the Japanese have a taste of our power. Let's see if they dare to invade our land again."
Shaoyang took the lead and rushed to the front. Zhou Chuanyong, Wang Musen and others, leading their teams, did not fall behind.

Since the patrol team arrived here, they have not engaged in any large-scale battles except for the bombardment of the Japanese suicide squad last night.

Now is the time to attack with all our strength.

Everyone trained hard on a daily basis, and they were well-equipped. With Qu Shaoyang leading the way, they were like a dragon entering the sea or a tiger descending the mountain, and they rushed forward with a roar.

"Sir, look! Reinforcements have arrived." Someone at the Hushan position discovered the commotion behind the Japanese army and shouted happily.

"Great! Once the reinforcements arrive, we will attack from both sides and see where these little Japanese can escape."

Nie Shicheng's troops were greatly encouraged by the arrival of reinforcements and fought back vigorously.

The Japanese army was caught off guard and their retreat was attacked from all sides. They were attacked from both sides and suffered many casualties. They suddenly lost their composure and scattered to both sides.

Qu Shaoyang also took the opportunity to lead his troops forward, quickly broke through the Japanese defense line, and joined Nie Shicheng's troops on the mountain.

"I'm Qu Shaoyang, the commander of the front camp of the new army in Phoenix City. I'm honored to meet you, sir." Qu Shaoyang rode his horse up to the front and shouted loudly.

"Captain Qu has worked hard. Thanks to Captain Qu for leading the troops to reinforce us. Otherwise, if the Japanese army occupied Hushan, the consequences would be disastrous."

Nie Shicheng naturally did not recognize Qu Shaoyang, but there were so many troops guarding the Yalu River and he was the only one coming to reinforce, so Nie Shicheng was naturally grateful.

So Nie Shicheng stepped forward personally and started a conversation with Qu Shaoyang.

It was at this time that Nie Shicheng realized that the reinforcements were not regular troops at all, but local patrol teams.

But just now he saw the situation below from the top of the mountain. Qu Shaoyang's troops were well-equipped and powerful. How could they be called patrol teams? They were stronger than the average Qing army.

“Sir, the situation is urgent right now, and there is no time to explain further. We can talk about it later when we have the chance.

It is important to hold the position first. The Japanese should not be underestimated. They are very powerful. We still have a tough battle to fight."

At this moment, there is no time to explain the whole story. The most important thing is to meet the enemy.

The Japanese troops at the foot of the mountain also reacted at this time.

It has to be said that the Japanese army's combat skills are indeed impressive. They quickly integrated their troops and launched a new charge.

However, with the addition of the patrol team led by Qu Shaoyang, the Japanese army's attack was blocked and they were counterattacked several times by the Qing army on the mountain, and the war became stalemate.

The sudden change made Aritomo Yamagata on the other side of the river very anxious.

This reinforcement, which came out of nowhere, disrupted his plan to quickly capture Hushan. If the war became a stalemate, it would be extremely disadvantageous to them.

Because the Japanese army was fighting with their backs to the river, once the main force of the Qing army came to reinforce and launch a counterattack, the Japanese army would most likely be driven back into the river.

Thinking of this, Aritomo Yamagata immediately gave orders to mobilize the reserve troops and send out the entire army to attack. Except for a few guards around him, everyone crossed the river to fight.

In this way, more than 20,000 Japanese troops gathered at the foot of Tiger Mountain, divided into three routes, and launched a charge towards the top of the mountain.

(End of this chapter)